Outdoor Skate set up.

[Smacques]

Hi Doc!

So I'm planning on building an set of skates using a pair of adidas hi-tops and a set of powerdyne thrust plates that came on my riedell sparks. I'm going to use them for outdoor skating, mainly just cruising around but also a bit of park skating.

I've been looking for advice on how to go about this on the forum for about 2 weeks now and keep going in circles because everyone seems to have contradictory advice and a lot of threads descend in to chaos. This has left me a little confused so I thought I'd come ask the expert!

Here's where I am;

I'm pretty sure I want to do a t nut mount as I'd prefer not to have any bolts sticking into my foot. I'm unsure what size t nuts I need as well as what other hardware I need to achieve this or precisely how to go about this...

I just want to do a 'standard mount' but again not really sure how to achieve this as there appear to be many different ways and methods of lining up the plate to the boot.

The shoes themselves are fairly ridged and are mostly leather so should be hard-wearing and stiff enough to do the job. I have gathered it would be best to stiffen the sole with something. They seem relatively stiff already but obviously I have nothing to compare this to having only ever held my derby boots attached to my plate! So far the 2 methods I've seen are to put a metal plate on the inside of the shoe or glue carbon fibre to the outside, any thoughts?

I would be very very grateful if you could point me in the right direction and clarify these points for me so I can go out and get skating rather than sitting at my computer!

Cheers
Hannah

[Doc Sk8]

Show me the outsoles please.

I am not a fan of putting anything inside the shoe unless it is too big to begin with. On the outside?? Depends on how stiff the sole is. Grab the heel and toe in each hand and give 'em a twist. If they twist easy, I would definitely recommend reenforcing the outside or just getting a better shoe with a stiffer sole..

Lots of info on Tee nut mounting in the forums. I know I have covered it more than once.

[Smacques]

Hi again! Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you!

Pics of the shoe:







There isn't much flex in the sole but it's not rock solid. I've marked a mid-line on the sole using the middle of the heal and the approx place in-between my 2nd and 3rd toe. I've also done this using a template made from the insole. My issue here is the insole is quite a bit small than the actual sole, which should I use to mark out my drill holes? I'm still a bit confused even after looking around the forum a lot sorry!

[Doc Sk8]

Originally Posted by Smacques

Hi again! Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you!

Pics of the shoe:



There isn't much flex in the sole but it's not rock solid.

Then you may be able to get away with no stiffener. One of the cool things about mounting with tee nuts is you can remove the screws and insert a stiffener later using longer screws if necessary. That will all depend on how you feel about the way the finished project sk8s.

I've marked a mid-line on the sole using the middle of the heal and the approx place in-between my 2nd and 3rd toe.

I love that 2nd and 3rd toe "rule". I have yet to find one human being that has a foot shaped such that the center line of the foot is located there. This is after measuring over 100 pair of foot tracings for semi custom Bonts...and measuring my feet and my wife's using a Snyder tool. Here, I will show you the results. BTW The Snyder tool gave essentially the same results as the tracings.

OK... I will warn you, I have ugly feet.



The green line is drawn on top of the edge of the Snyder tool that is used to put the center line on a boot. Granted, my left foot is close than my right but if either of those lines is between the my 2nd and 3rd toe, I'm done building sk8s.

So what does this mean?? If one is looking to build sk8s dead nuts under the true center line of the feet, aiming for that 2nd - 3rd toe, while convenient, and in some cases, close... it is not exact. Understanding this has allowed me to improve the alignment of the sk8s I build, even if I don't have the sk8rs feet in front of me.


I've also done this using a template made from the insole. My issue here is the insole is quite a bit small than the actual sole, which should I use to mark out my drill holes? I'm still a bit confused even after looking around the forum a lot sorry!

The insole should be centered above the out sole in the boot. Marking the out sole to drill for the plates is all I have found necessary to do.